The four suits – typical high-powered, executive types – look ready to launch into a discussion on the credit crunch. But when they open their mouths, instead of boardroom-speak we hear… singing?

That's right. Gone suddenly are the corporate masks, replaced by gently animated eyes and smiles. It's Gregorian chant, to be more specific, the latest trend in relieving the stress and high blood pressure of our hyperactive and aggressive modern lifestyles. It's been found to promote a sense of well-being and to help people to connect better with those around them, especially when practiced communally.

Although its newfound popularity may have a trendy aspect to it, Gregorian chant is anything but new. Chanting goes back in history to well before the birth of Christ and is the earliest manifestation of Western music. However, the basis of the Gregorian Chants we recognize today originated during the "Silver Age of Chant" from 900 to 1300 AD. Of course, chanting in its most profound sense is a form of worship and its religious origins and significance should be acknowledged and respected.

Having said this, Gregorian chant, with its simple beauty and inspirational qualities, has enjoyed tremendous commercial success. Chant can be appreciated on both spiritual and secular levels and the Church seems to actively promote its enjoyment by all. There certainly couldn't be a better time for its rediscovery. As the credit crunch, a looming recession, and all-round doom and gloom take their toll, people of all types are looking for new and simpler ways to soothe the soul. In response, courses for Gregorian chant are in high demand and groups for singing it – both religious and secular – are springing up everywhere.

And now there's another great reason to participate in this ancient ritual: its health benefits! Recent research reveals that singing Gregorian chant can lower your blood pressure, relieve stress, increase levels of performance-enhancing hormones and reduce anxiety and depression. That's in addition to its social benefits mentioned above.

Dr. Alan Watkins, senior lecturer in neuroscience at Imperial College London, connected monks to a device that monitored their heart rate and blood pressure throughout a 24-hour period. The results revealed that their heart rates and blood pressure dipped to their lowest points in the day when they were chanting. This is especially significant as blood pressure and heart rate will usually increase during activity.

Dr. Watkins explains: "The control of breathing, the feelings of well-being that communal singing bring, and the simplicity of the melodies, seem to have a powerful effect on reducing blood pressure and therefore stress."

<"It's all in the breathing." You've probably heard this said about singing. Breathing is basic training for all professional singing and many great singers demonstrate formidable breathing abilities. The legendary Sinatra, it was said, sang the last 16 bars of "My Funny Valentine" on one breath. The British singer, Des O'Connor, said about him: "His breathing was the secret of everything he ever did – the control."

Breath control – the secret behind such diverse things as singing, dancing, meditation, martial art and so many aspects of our general health and vitality. Long before the current focus on Gregorian chant, researchers documented the ability of a form of slow and regulated breathing to lower blood pressure. And unlike conventional forms of relaxation, the effects of slow breathing are cumulative and long-lasting. In fact, an entirely new form of natural blood pressure treatment has grown out of this research.

It just so happens that the breathing patterns produced by Gregorian chant are virtually the same as those that have been clinically demonstrated to lower blood pressure and reduce levels of stress hormones. Singing in general requires a relatively short inhale followed by a long, sustained exhale during which the notes are vocalized. But there are additional features unique to Gregorian chant that contribute further to its breathing and health benefits. These include its highly regular cadence and "monophonic" nature (even range of tone). It's almost as if Gregorian chant were deliberately designed with advance knowledge of therapeutic breathing techniques! (hmmm, makes you wonder…)

While breathing may be the more obvious key to its health-giving properties, Gregorian chant has other things going for it as well. The regular cadence and monophonic nature of chant mentioned above also give it an ethereal beauty and hypnotic power that have survived the millennia. Gregorian chant surely has positive psychological impact that is not yet fully understood or appreciated. At the very least it makes listening and singing it extremely enjoyable: a rare quality indeed for a healthy practice!

How can you participate in Gregorian chant? The first and most obvious way may be right under your nose… through your local church. Of course not all religious music is Gregorian chant but many churches sponsor Gregorian Choirs and similar groups.

If you're more secularly inclined there are many community groups, clubs, scholarly societies and even commercial organizations that teach Gregorian chant. As mentioned at the start of this article, the number of such groups is increasing daily; check the Internet for resources in your area.

Although Gregorian chant is ideally a communal experience, its health benefits are available to all, even solitary animals. If you're not able or don't want to join a group there are many CDs and home-study courses available on the Internet. And you don't even have to learn to sing to benefit! A method called slow breathing with music combines a therapeutic breathing track with Gregorian chant. The breathing track guides your breathing in the therapeutic cadence while you simply relax to the incredibly beautiful and hypnotic chant. Remember: it's all in the breathing!

Discover more about Gregorian Chant, other forms of music and slow breathing to lower high blood pressure and relieve stress.